The last of the area's future Division-I college basketball players has joined Killingly's Shane Gibson and NFA's R.J. Evans on the sidelines.
New London's Allan Chaney and his Whalers teammates found the end of the road in New Haven Tuesday night as Maloney of Meriden downed them in the Class L semifinals, 72-50.
To a man, including coach Craig Parker, the Whalers felt they were outworked by Maloney. That the Spartans just wanted it more as evidenced by their work off the boards and a tremendous third-quarter run that, essentially, put the game away.
The 6-foot, 8-inch Chaney finished with 28 points and left the high school game with a promise for his new coach, the University of Florida's Billy Donovan.
"There are things that are going to come out of my game next year that I guarantee you, people have never seen," Chaney said. "That's how hard I'm going to work."
That statement doesn't surprise New London senior Eli Braboy.
"I will see him next year on the TV, but that's my big man," Braboy said. "I wish him the best of luck wherever he goes, whatever he does."
That's a sentiment that will be echoed by many.
Tonight, the last team from the area that has a chance to make a state championship game, Stonington, is on the court. The Bears take on the Hartford Public Owls at 7 p.m. at Eastern Connecticut State University in a Class M semifinal.